Assignment 3: America As A Superpower For History 105 Dr. St

Assignment 3 America As A Superpowerfor History 105 Dr Stansburys

This assignment explores America's international role in recent decades, focusing on the period from 1950 to the present. It examines how the United States' shift to a global policing role developed, primarily during the Cold War, and how that role has evolved or persisted in the context of contemporary threats such as terrorism and WMD proliferation. The paper requires a clear thesis statement, either arguing that the U.S. policing strategy has become ineffective and should be discarded or that it remains essential in today's global instability. The paper must include four specific examples—two from the Cold War era and two from the past two decades—that support the chosen thesis, supported by credible sources. Additionally, it should include a critical discussion of an opposing viewpoint and conclude with reflections on how historical context influences current issues in your professional or personal life. A minimum of four academic sources, including the Schultz textbook, are required, with proper citations throughout.

Paper For Above instruction

The rise of the United States as a superpower in the second half of the twentieth century fundamentally reshaped global politics, establishing its role as a predominant international policeman. This role, characterized by military interventions, strategic alliances, and efforts to maintain global stability, has fluctuated in justification and effectiveness over the decades. The debate over whether this extensive global policing remains vital or has become an impediment continues to influence U.S. foreign policy decisions. This paper posits that, based on historical instances from both the Cold War and recent decades, the U.S. international policing strategy has been crucial during periods of global crises but has increasingly become counterproductive, warranting reconsideration of its continuation in the present age.

During the Cold War, the United States’ role as a global policeman was exemplified by its proactive policies to contain Soviet influence and prevent the spread of communism. One prominent example was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where U.S. military and diplomatic pressure, including a naval blockade, challenged the Soviet Union’s placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. This confrontation exemplifies how U.S. strategic interventions aimed to maintain international stability and prevent nuclear escalation (Chace, 2015). The crisis underscored the importance of American involvement in contentious regions, justifying its superpower status as a stabilizing force, albeit with risks of escalation.

Another Cold War example is the Vietnam War, which, despite its controversial nature, demonstrated the U.S. commitment to preventing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The intervention was intended to uphold regional stability and contain Soviet and Chinese influence (Schultz, 2018). However, it also revealed the limitations of military intervention as a means of nation-building and maintaining global order. The prolonged conflict and its domestic repercussions damaged American credibility and questioned the efficacy of the U.S. policing strategy, illustrating its potential drawbacks during periods of intense ideological rivalry.

In the post-Cold War era, the United States' role in global policing expanded beyond traditional alliances to more direct military interventions. The 1991 Gulf War, invoked after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, epitomized a successful application of U.S. military power to restore regional stability. President George H. W. Bush articulated this purpose in his address before Congress, emphasizing the need to uphold international law and prevent aggression (Bush, 1991). The swift and decisive military response reinforced the perception that American military might was essential for international order in the post-Cold War world, establishing the U.S. as a global enforcer of norms.

More recently, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 exemplifies the complex and often contentious nature of modern American policing efforts. Under the pretext of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, the intervention aimed to promote stability and democratization in the Middle East. However, the prolonged insurgency, regional destabilization, and questions about the legitimacy of the invasion highlighted the limitations and unintended consequences of unilateral military interventions (McCrisken, 2013). This example demonstrates that while the U.S. continues to deploy military force in pursuit of global stability, such actions may undermine long-term strategic interests and question the effectiveness of its policing role.

While these examples from different periods illustrate the significance of U.S. intervention, some critics argue that the global policing strategy is increasingly ineffective and counterproductive. They contend that continuous military engagement engenders anti-American sentiment, fuels regional instability, and diverts resources from domestic priorities (Tarzi, 2014). Opponents also highlight the moral and economic costs of persistent intervention and question whether maintaining a superpower’s policing role aligns with global stability, especially in the face of a multipolar world with rising powers such as China and Russia.

Nevertheless, proponents argue that in the current era marked by terrorism and proliferation of WMD, the United States’ role as a superpower is more critical than ever. The fight against terrorism, exemplified by operations in Afghanistan and drone campaigns in countries like Pakistan and Yemen, underscores the need for sustained intervention to dismantle terrorist networks (McCrisken, 2013). These efforts aim to prevent the spread of extremism and WMD, emphasizing that American global security measures remain indispensable for maintaining stability and deterring new threats.

In conclusion, the historical record demonstrates that the United States’ international policing role has been instrumental in shaping global stability during key moments of Cold War and modern history. Despite the criticisms and challenges, American military and diplomatic engagement has often prevented larger conflicts and contained potential threats. However, evolving global dynamics, rising powers, and the unintended consequences of intervention suggest that America’s superpower status and policing strategy require reassessment. Understanding this history helps professionals and policymakers recognize how U.S. actions influence current international issues, security policies, and economic stability, with implications for careers in security, diplomacy, and strategic planning. The legacy of U.S. global policing, therefore, remains significant, but it demands a nuanced approach tailored to today’s multipolar and technologically interconnected world.

References

• Bush, G. H. W. (1991). Address before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Cessation of the Persian Gulf Conflict.
• Chace, S. (2015). The Cuban Missile Crisis: Leadership as Disturbance, Informed by History. Summer.
• McCrisken, T. (2013). Obama’s Drone War. Inquiry & Insights: The Journal of International Policy Analysis, 6(2), 45-59.
• Schultz, K. M. (2018). HIST: Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865. 5th ed.
• Tarzi, S. M. (2014). The Folly of a Grand Strategy of Coercive Global Primacy: A Fresh Perspective on the Post-9/11 Bush Doctrine. Foreign Affairs.
• Additional scholarly sources from the university library to support analysis.